It’s already a go-to meal for many, but now there’s an extra incentive – if ever one was needed – to grab yourself a chicken parmigiana. Pubs and clubs across the Illawarra have jumped on board the “Parma for a Farmer” initiative, which sees a slice of the ever-popular meal’s cost given to Rural Aid’s Buy a Bale campaign. Most participating venues have vowed to give the drought-relief charity $1 for every parma – also known as a ‘parmy’ or ‘parmi’ – sold. However, a couple of Illawarra and South Coast pubs have taken their fundraising efforts even further by offering a limited-time deal to maximise the amount of money raised. Five dollars from every chicken parmigiana sold at Fairy Meadow’s Cabbage Tree Hotel, between 11.30am and 9pm each day until Sunday, will go towards helping farmers. Read more: Drought declared across 100 per cent of NSW “Every four parmys sold buys a [small] bale, so come on down and show your support,” a post on the hotel’s Facebook page said. The Cabbage Tree’s sister venue, the Bomaderry Hotel, is offering the same donation. Elsewhere, the North Wollongong Hotel – known for its $7.50 chicken schnitzels – is among the Illawarra pubs taking part. North Gong will donate $1 from every chicken parmy sold during August to another charity, Drought Angels. Meanwhile, a fundraiser at Figgy Bowlo at the weekend also raised money for Buy a Bale, amassing more than $10,000 for the cause. Organiser Rhonda Blackett said at least 250 people attended Sunday’s event and she was “blown away” by the support. *Got a place to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below or via our Facebook page.